Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse (R) will resign in December to become the new president of Florida State University. A staffer in Sasse’s Washington D.C. office talked to KLIN News and confirmed that Sasse is expected to resign some time in December and that he has recused himself from any activities in the Senate that could be in conflict with the ongoing discussion with the University of Florida.
The Senator sent out a Tweet on his personal Twitter account @BenSasse:
“The University of Florida is uniquely positioned to lead this country through an era of disruption. The single biggest challenge our nation faces is the radical disruption of work. Technology is changing everything about where, when, why, what, and how Americans work – and so it’s changing our homes, neighborhoods, and communities too. Melissa and I have been pursued by wonderful institutions the past two years, but we’ve resisted being named a finalist. This time is different because the University of Florida is very different: I think Florida is the most interesting university in America right now.
UF is the most important institution in the nations’ most economically dynamic state. Washington partisanship isn’t going to solve these workforce challenges – new institutions and entrepreneurial communities are going to have to spearhead this work. If UF wants to go big, I’m excited about the wide range of opportunities. I’m delighted to be in conversation with the leadership of this special community about how we might together build a vision for UF to be the nation’s most-dynamic, bold, future-oriented university.”
With the expected resignation, Governor Pete Ricketts will appoint Sasse’s replacement through January of 2025 and then a special election would be held.